''The Big Broadcast'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

film directed by

Frank Tuttle Frank Wright Tuttle (August 6, 1892 – January 6, 1963) was a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film director and writer who directed films from 1922 (''The Cradle Buster'') to 1959 (''Island of Lost Women''). Biography Frank Tuttle was ...

and starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, Stuart Erwin, and Leila Hyams. Based on the play ''Wild Waves'' by William Ford Manley, the film is about a radio-singer who becomes a popular hit with audiences, but takes a disrespectful approach to his career. His repeated latenesses leads to the bankruptcy of the radio station, but his career is saved by a new friend who buys the station and gives him his job back. The film co-stars

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...

and

Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ap ...

in supporting roles. ''The Big Broadcast'' was produced by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

and was the first in a series of four ''Big Broadcast'' movies.

Plot

Radio-singer Bing Crosby (

) is not very serious about his career. His chronic tardiness and his soon-to-be marriage with the notorious Mona Lowe (Sharon Lynn) has become an issue at station WADX. After an unpleasant conversation with station manager George Burns, concerning dismissal and a

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

, the despondent singer visits a

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. In the United State ...

. While there, Crosby sees miserable Texas oilman Leslie McWhinney ( Stuart Erwin), who does not recognize Bing Crosby as a celebrity. Crosby consoles Leslie, who expresses his heartbreak over a woman swindling him out of $100,000. Crosby initially intends to comfort him, but he soon sees a newspaper article about Mona's betrayal. They both realize they have been wronged by their relationships. That night, Crosby invites Leslie to his apartment, where the electricity goes out. They are both drunk, and Crosby convinces Leslie to join him in

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

via gas poisoning. Leslie reluctantly goes along with the plan, sitting side by side in the kitchen. As they near death, they are haunted by a ghostly apparition of a skull and an

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

player who sings " Here Lies Love" (

Arthur Tracy Arthur Tracy (born Abba Avrom Tracovutsky; June 25, 1899 – October 5, 1997) was an American vocalist and actor, billed as The Street Singer. His performances in theatre, films and radio, along with his recordings, brought him international f ...

). Before they die, they are rescued by a doorman and Anita Rogers ( Leila Hyams), secretary at station WADX and the former fiancée of Leslie. The next morning, Crosby and Leslie wake up to find they are still alive. Anita admits to Leslie that she has fallen in love with Crosby. Crosby then invites Leslie to join them at WADX, saying he can find him a job around the radio station. Meanwhile, station manager

is riddled by the addled conversation and hijinks of his stenographer,

. After multiple mishaps, he loses the radio station and repo men begin to take out the furniture. A confused Leslie, looking for a job around the station, helps the repo men carry out a desk before realizing the station is going out of business. Leslie reveals that he still has $900,000 and uses this money to buy the radio station, in order to help out Crosby and Anita, whom he still loves. Leslie comes up with the idea of putting on a "big broadcast" of stars to pull the station out of debt. Mona returns on the scene and reinstates the wedding, which makes Crosby quickly forget about his budding romance with Anita. Crosby goes out with Mona hours before the big broadcast, threatening to ruin the show as he is the best-for-last performer. Leslie expresses that he is unconditionally supportive of Crosby and Anita's relationship, which makes Anita cry. She admits to Leslie that she loves Crosby because he reminds her of Leslie, particularly his voice. She asks Leslie for a kiss, and despite his confusion he obliges. Leslie then visits Mona's apartment hours after the show has started, only to find that Crosby is lying on the sofa, apparently drunk. In actuality, Crosby winks at Mona to indicate he is pretending to be intoxicated in order to skip the show and spend more time with her. Leslie continues to urge him to perform, while Mona seems to be incredibly furious at Crosby's irresponsibility. Leslie leaves after reminding Crosby that he is disappointing Anita. After he is gone, Mona demands to know who Anita is; when Crosby refuses to tell her, she throws a vase and shatters it against the wall by Crosby's head. Crosby is shown turning around furiously and pulling up his sleeves. While walking back to the station, Leslie overhears an older couple listening to a record of Crosby singing "Please" in their first-floor apartment window. Leslie then gets the idea to find a record and spin it on the air, hopeful that people would assume it to be a live performance. The husband in the apartment window rises out of his seat and tosses the record out the window, where it shatters against the sidewalk. Desperately, Leslie attempts to find a record of the song and gets into various comedic situations, usually ending with an ironic twist that leads to the next situation. Situations include finding a record store, only for it to be closed; finding the record store owner's apartment and enticing him downstairs, only to accidentally knock over the display, spilling records all over the floor; attempting to throw a pineapple at the glass to rob the store, only to hit a policeman instead; falling over a child's toy and landing on the record; knocking over a woman's grocery bag; accidentally trading her the record for a slab of meat; nearly having a person step on the record; and lastly, melting the record right before his ascent to the radio station. In a rush, Leslie asks for the curtains to be closed. He then plays the record on the air; however, as it is melted, it produces a humorously bad effect. The band begins to play "Please" and there is apparently no singer, as Crosby continues to be absent. Seeing no other option, an anxious Leslie bursts into song, accompanying the band with vocals that are evidently untrained. He stumbles over the lyrics and cannot produce the correct whistling tones. Anita, listening to the broadcast, looks shocked as she recognizes Leslie's voice instead of Bing's. From her facial expression, it can be assumed that she finds Leslie brave and endearing and returns to her romance with Leslie. Just in time for the second verse, Crosby returns and performs the song, improvising alternate lyrics as a message to Anita to take Leslie back as her fiancé. Crosby, who actually has been feigning irresponsibility to bring Leslie and Anita together, succeeds in reuniting the former lovers. Mona is listening to him in the booth; she pouts and has a black eye as she listens to him sing, looking with admiration and fear upon him. The black eye insinuates that Crosby had

assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

ed her earlier in the evening as punishment for leaving him and for her asking about Anita.

Cast

as Bing Crosby * Stuart Erwin as Leslie McWhinney * Leila Hyams as Anita Rogers * Sharon Lynn as Mona *

as himself *

as herself * George Barbier as Clapsaddle * Ralph Robertson as Announcer * Alex Melesh as Animal Man *

Spec O'Donnell Walter D. "Spec" O'Donnell (April 9, 1911 – October 14, 1986) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 190 films between 1923 and 1978. He worked frequently for producer Hal Roach, often appearing in silent comedies as the bratty s ...

as Office Boy * Anna Chandler as Mrs. Cohen * Thomas Carrigan as Officer * The Mills Brothers as Themselves *

Irving Bacon Irving Ernest Bacon (September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar West Bacon (who was a teenager) and Myrtle Vane. He was born ...

as Prisoner * The Boswell Sisters as Themselves *

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

as himself *

Leonid Kinskey Leonid Kinskey (18 April 1903 – September 8, 1998) was a Russian-born American film and television actor, best known for his role as Sascha in the film ''Casablanca'' (1942). His last name was sometimes spelled Kinsky. Life and career Kinskey ...

as Ivan * Eddie Lang as himself *

Vincent Lopez Vincent Lopez (December 30, 1895 – September 20, 1975) was an American bandleader, actor, and pianist. Early life and education Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, Distinguished Americ ...

& His Orchestra as Themselves * Dewey Robinson as Basso * Kate Smith as herself *

as himself

Production

Filming locations

* Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (main scenes) * Paramount Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Soundtrack

Introductory sequence (signature tunes): " Where the Blue of the Night" (sung by Bing Crosby]; " When the Moon Comes over the Mountain" (sung by Kate Smith); "Shout, Sister, Shout" (sung by The Boswell Sisters); " Minnie the Moocher" (sung by Cab Calloway); "Goodbye Blues" (sung by The Mills Brothers).
" I Surrender Dear" (snatch only - sung by Bing Crosby)
"

Dinah In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only named daughter of Leah and Jacob. The episode of her rape by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent revenge of her brothers Simeon and Levi, commonly ...

" (sung by Bing Crosby)
" Here Lies Love" (sung by

, and again by Bing Crosby)
" I've Got Five Dollars" (snatch only - sung by Bing Crosby)
"Please" (sung by Bing Crosby)
"

Tiger Rag "Tiger Rag" is a jazz standard that was recorded and copyrighted by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917. It is one of the most recorded jazz compositions. In 2003, the 1918 recording of "Tiger Rag" was entered into the U.S. Library of Cong ...

" (sung by The Mills Brothers)
"Drummer Man" (Vincent Lopez and His Orchestra)
"Trees" (sung by Donald Novis)
"Crazy People" (Sung by The Boswell Sisters)
"It Was So Beautiful" (sung by Kate Smith)
"Kicking the Gong Around" (sung by Cab Calloway) Crosby recorded the songs for

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...

and "Dinah" and "Please" both topped the charts of the day.

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
recognition

* 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: ** " Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day" – Nominated

Following films in series

* '' The Big Broadcast of 1936'' * '' The Big Broadcast of 1937'' * ''

The Big Broadcast of 1938 ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' is a Paramount Pictures musical film, musical comedy film starring W. C. Fields and featuring Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of ''Big Broadcast'' movies that were variety sh ...

Reception

It was Bing Crosby's first starring role in a full-length film and generally he got good reviews. "The film is a credit to Crosby as a screen juve possibility, although he has a decidedly dizzy and uncertain role which makes him behave as no human being does." '' The New York American'' commented: "Bing Crosby is the star, make no mistake about it. The “Blue of the Night” boy is a picture personality, as he demonstrated in his two-reelers. He has a camera face and a camera presence. Always at ease, he troupes like a veteran." The ''Hollywood Citizen News'' had more to say: ".... Bing Crosby croons several attractive songs which seem destined to enjoy wide popularity. For that matter, he needn’t be ashamed of his acting either. Burns and Allen have several good comedy sequences, and Cab Calloway and his orchestra are excellent in one sequence. All the radio stars are heard much as you hear them on the air. The novelty of seeing them may be an attraction. But Tuttle has not relied upon the drawing power of that novelty. He has injected little touches of fantasy, hints of satire, moments of slapstick comedy and a general impression of jolly good humor. He tells you frankly that this picture is not to be taken seriously and I think that most audiences will believe him and thereby enjoy it." During its initial release, the film earned $775,000 in North American theatrical rentals.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Broadcast, The 1932 films 1932 musical comedy films American black-and-white films Paramount Pictures films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Frank Tuttle American musical comedy films 1930s American films Films scored by John Leipold Films scored by Ralph Rainger English-language musical comedy films